Invest Like a Girl: Jump into the Stock Market, Reach Your Money Goals, and Build Wealth

by Jessica Spangler

An approachable, empowering guide to investing that helps you level the financial playing field, move toward financial independence, and grow your money, from one of the internet’s favorite personal finance educators In a world where many women need to contend with the gender pay gap, take career breaks to raise families, and account for their longer lifespans when saving for retirement, investing is a surefire way to put yourself on firm financial footing. And when women do start investing, they often land higher returns than men. However, as Dr. Jessica Spangler discovered when she shared her financial know-how online, understanding that investing is crucial is just the beginning. Many of her followers, as well as her real-life friends, coworkers, and even patients, wanted to know exactly how and where they could start.With Invest Like a Girl, Jessica shares the essential information and offers the game plans that women need to begin investing right away and according to their unique financial profiles. Filled with easy-to-implement tools, practical strategies, and real-life examples, this go-to guide to investing will provide the blueprint for you to take the next step with your money, teaching you how to ● Prep your Get a clear picture of your net worth and know exactly how much you can allocate for investing—no matter your income.● Pick up the lingo of Understand the differences between ETFs, index funds, mutual funds, bonds, and options—and weigh the pros and cons of each.● Manage risk without breaking a Determine your risk tolerance with a short quiz, learn to use the ups and downs of the market to your benefit, and discover how investing helps you beat inflation.● Craft a customized Outline your most important financial goals, figure out your personal investing style, and decide how to allocate your assets with the help of worksheets, checklists, and sample portfolios along the way. Whether you’re looking to achieve financial independence, make strides toward important life goals, or set aside enough for retirement, Invest Like a Girl will get you up to speed and empower you to start investing and make sound decisions about your money.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Money, Business, Personal Finance

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

Reviews

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am already interested in finance and a friend of a friend wrote this book (so cool!), so my review is biased and after reading, even though I consider myself a beginner investor, I realized I'm not quite the target audience.

Who this book is for:

- Anyone who has money saved and not currently invested because it's overwhelming to learn or seems like gambling (Read this book - it's easier than you think and your financial future will benefit, trust me)
- Anyone who has money but feels like they don't make or have enough for investing to be worth it (spoiler: you do, and it is)
- Someone who has a 401k but doesn't really know what it means or how it works
- Someone who knows financial literacy 101, but wants a reference on hand that covers all the basics as a good reference or guide to refer to when needed

Who this book is not for:

- Someone who has a brokerage account, already knows the basics, tried-and-trues to financial literacy 101, and is looking to learn more advanced or in-depth strategies (This book really hounds on the benefits of the basics and not overcomplicating your investments, and I largely agree, but in that case, I had nothing new to learn from the book)
- Anyone interested in day-trading or more short-term investment strategies
- Anyone interested in learning more about debt repayment options, real estate as an investment (the old rent vs buy debate) or other financial topics not directly related to the stock market. They're not really discussed here and I was hoping they would be.

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces readers to investment terminology and strategies. I wish I had this years ago. I do not think this book is specific to women; anyone beginning or refining their portfolio can benefit from this. The content is comprehensive and there are options for actionable steps depending on the reader’s financial goals.

Thank you NetGalley and Rodale for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this book, but I found it far too simplistic. Perhaps "like a beginner" would have been a more fair assessment as women are not necessarily new to investing. That said, there was some helpful information and I'd recommend it to a beginner, regardless of their gender. Kind of disappointing that titles like this are still a thing to be honest.

[Yolanda Ngarambe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! As someone who just ~discovered investing this year, I have been looking for books that can teach me in more detail the ins and outs of investing. Reading about finance can easily get boring or overwhelming, but this book does it just right. It was easy to understand (I learned a lot) but also fun to the point that I looked forward to reading it!

The only thing that almost put me off from picking it up was the title…using the word “girl” feels outdated and incorrect as the book def is catered to adults. Changing it to “woman” seems more appropriate!

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t learn anything new per se, but i think this was a really well-written and clear book about investing for anyone ready to get into it 👻

[kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good review of the basics with some new info thrown in. 98% of the advice in this book is not gendered for “girls” but I understand she’s trying to grab a desired audience.

[Lauren Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be more effective reading it in a physical format vs. audio book. Some helpful concepts that harder to grasp through listening.

[Serena Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who isn’t typically interested in finance, I found this book engaging. It provides a solid foundation for understanding investing and money management while remaining motivating. I would recommend it to anyone interested in investing but unsure where to start.

“Ultimately, a great investor will spend less time worrying about how to avoid risk completely and more time deciding how to manage it.”

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful book for beginners and easy to read. I was already familiar with most of the content in the book so it didn’t seem super ground breaking or helpful. I would probably recommend it to a friend just learning about investing though. I found the book because I follow her on IG.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of Invest Like a Girl by Jessica Spangler from NetGallery in exchange for my review. However, that has no impact on my review or thoughts.


Everyone woman should read Invest Like a Girl by Jessica Spangler as she explains everything in relation to investing super clearly. This book sparked my interest as I wanted to learn about investing so that I could be more informed of my work 401k and personal IRA. I've never taken a finance class so going into this book I would consider myself to be a newbie, Jessica Spangler breaks every topic down to where it can be understood clearly. I liked that she gave examples of the different investing terms and how these terms fit together with real world investing plans. I walked away with a better understanding of investing and how to put together a well-rounded portfolio. This book I would recommend to any woman over the age of 18.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who have mastered the budget and are ready to move on to the next steps. I do follow the author on Instagram so was familiar with her information. I would like to share that she is not a financial advisor and does mention that at the beginning of her book, but this might make some a little taken aback since they otherwise might be thinking she is. These types of books do help break the wall of investing for many, so it is worth taking a look. There is more depth in this one than others I have read which stop a tad too soon. Do know that anything taken from the book has risks so as she advises be willing to lose money if you plan on investing. Pair this one with I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Sethi or Financial Adulting: Everything You Need to be a Financially Confident and Conscious Adult by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still reading and might come to update later.

Picked up a small pile of books on personal finances after reading "I will teach you to be rich" by Ramit Sethi.

The information presented so far is on-point, especially the advice about budgeting, the advice to always, always, always negotiate your salaries, etc.

However (and this will likely be updated if/when I finish this book) - like with other offerings I've rated on here - authors need to be aware that "the Internet" ≠ reality. Meaning, leave "the Internet" stuff online and out of your pages. While I get some of the emotional ties to some of what made it into this copy, it detracts from the information being presented. Not interested in having a debate over this either. Books are the last refuge from the wasteland that is social media.

Take care not to conflate the two.

[Beth Laine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read the end of the book mostly cause I’m not in the financial state to carry on with the last bits of advice … well I moved to nyc with a thousand bucks and I’m working eight jobs at once and I’m depressed asf and the stock market crashed and my aunt who isn’t blood related to me who lives in the building over had this book on her table so I gave it a go. Man now I know how ppl have financial security . They have us played and I fucking hate the world ❤️ anyways I’m investing in my retirement with about five bucks but they say u just gotta start . Ok I’ll continue to live. This system is stupid and there’s gotta b a better way

[Lexie Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good basic overview of the types of investment vehicles and how to use them without making it overly complicated.
There are a lot of pieces of personal finance that are glossed over - the differences between Roth and Traditional IRAs would have been a good start and really anything about how different types of accounts impact taxation was totally skipped.
There was a lot more focus on what investments to use over what account types to use (and in what order!), which could be equally important long term.

[Janelle Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book that teaches everything I needed to know about investing. Spangler takes a complicated subject and makes it easy to understand and retain. It's a great reference book and I've nearly taken the last step to start investing! All I need is to pick a brokerage firm! Highly recommend. I checked this out from my library, but I would love to have a physical copy to continue to reference as needed. And to highlight it excessively.
Side note, it had a bit more feminist/political talk than I expected from a finance book, but I love Ecommjess and it didn't detract from the goodness of the book!

[kaliflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSIGHTFUL. I am very glad I read this. I had previous investing knowledge by reading "Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginner's Guide to Leveling Up Your Money" but this book encouraged me as a woman to be courageous and think well for retirement.
As a data nerd, I liked how the author incorporated data into this when showcasing how disadvantaged women are when it comes to knowing financial literacy. This led me to inform my female peers to read this book!

[Brooke Espenschied · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative read. More of a beginner's guide but gained some new perspective as well as some conservative investment options like I bonds or TIPS. Her use of humor throughout gives the reader a nice break from a heavier topic. Would recommend for individuals looking to get started with investing.

[Chelsey Haughey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! First, the language she uses makes it easily digestible and wasn’t overwhelming. Second, I loved learning about all the ways I can diversify and start my portfolio. I highly recommend this book when learning about personal finance! You can really tell that Jessica took a ton of time and did research for this book.

[Cat]

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was effective in its goals, succinct and smartly written, and informative without being overwhelming, which made it very accessible and helpful to me as a first-time investor considering the idea but not knowing where to start and having a lot of worries. I would highly recommend to anyone in a similar boat, whether you identify as a woman or not.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. As someone who didn’t know much about investing, it helped me to understand in what I would be interested in investing. The book was explained in simple terms and had good complications of pros and cons as wells as lists that you can for yourself. Overall a great started book to understand and start investing.

[Renee Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful introduction to investing if you have no knowledge or basic knowledge. However, if you have a fairly good understanding of investing, this is probably not the book for you. It would be a great gift for a new graduate.

[Tameeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Making money from investing sounds fun. Learning about how to invest, does not sound fun. I have been bored to tears by other investment books. Invest like a girl isn't an exciting read but it makes learning about investing more tangible. Great book to kick start your financial empowerment journey.

[Karlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily digestible and some really great info that goes deeper than the starter financial book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, accessible information about investing and money management

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rachel Dittrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda disappointed. I love to watch Jess’ content on social media, but the book really just overwhelmed me and was hard to follow.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Instagram is a really wonderful and goes over all that is in this book.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

52 Bookclub Summer Reading Mini Challenge #10: BALANCE BEAM: About finding balance in life

[Marie N · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I especially liked the detailed comparison of portfolio allocations in part 2.

[Jay Dauz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me to get started in investing :)